Catalogue

Introduced into northern Nigeria toward the latter part of the 14th century, according to oral and written texts, Islam has to one extent or another systematically defined the parameters of religious disputes and ritual argumentation among northern Nigeria's Hausa-Fulani elites. Elaborating on Islam's further politicization between the 18th and 20th centuries, this fascinating and first-rate study focuses mainly on the political-religious conflicts between the 1950s and 1980s. Loimeier argues that as a transformative agent, Islam has led not only to internal change, but also to modernizing reforms. Far from a being destructive process with a somewhat mangled agenda, the north's decades-long conflict among the various breeds of Islamic reformers, politicians, and leaders of the Sufi brotherhoods has set the agenda for a social emancipation, restructuring, and a greater social inclusiveness. Important beneficiaries of these changing policies include many previously excluded from the elite political process: non-affiliated Muslim intellectuals (some Western trained), as well as bankers and administrators. Most noticeable since the 1980s has been the overt incorporation of Muslim women into the political process. As Abubakar Gumi (1922-1992), founder of the reformist `Yan Izala movement, noted, "politics is more important than prayer." Upper-division undergraduates and above. B. M. Perinbam; University of Maryland College Park